This series is one of my all time favorites. if you're someone who doesn't easily connect dots however, it is not for you. the story is incredibly captivating without needing to give you much information. A lot of the story is left open and the characters are incredibly dynamic. You spend the entire series trying to solve questions like what happened? What does that mean? what will happen next? The directors have a keen understanding of setting, narrative and foreshadowing. The series is different than most anime, as you aren't given all the details in some drawn out boring exposition speech. You are left to connect events through meticulous clues and hopeful symbols left by the writers. An expert use of dialogue as there is very little dialogue that is worth nothing. Every word is important to the overall story. Perfect and thought provoking. Got more attached to the main 3 contractors than pretty much any anime characters.

This is probably one of my favorite shows. HEI IS A BEAST OF A CHARACTER. He is constantly switching personalities from that of a silly exchange student to the serious contractor he is which is so easily depicted by his eyes whenever he is done pretending to be happy they drain from all life and it really just makes you wanna curl up into a ball and do nothing forever. If you are looking for a show to really just give you an existential crisis then Darker than Black is your show. CHARACTER ATTACHMENT IS CRAZY. It is so deep as well as very smart and emotionally draining. After watching it for the first time I proceeded to show it to my sister who watched it in one day and was left with no idea what to do with life. This series is so dark (the title is very fitting) with the creator having no conscious which is what makes it so good. You will also find a huge attachment to the characters that remain constant and even those that are temporary. Only thing I wish was different was that there was more to watch, really an amazing show.

The first few episodes are a bit, wtf is going on but it does explain more in depth after several episodes. This show is basically about emotionless people with abilities that have to pay a price to use those abilities and vary greatly person to person. This show is a sorta dark show, i guess compared to what everyone these days thinks of a "normal" anime then yeah it is dark, but to me I've seen much darker lol. There is lots of blood, action, and excitement. My only complaint with season 1 was the last episode(26). I believe it was an OVA but none the less it just didn't match the series at all, for example episode 1-25 is pure logical thinking, no emotion to killing a person for what ever reason they have to kill them. In episode 26(it also takes place before episode 25 id say 23-24)the group of contractors(basically assassins) are all OMG BUDDY YOU CAN'T KILL THAT PERSON YOU COULD GET HURT!?! Its far to dangerous, don't do that, Oh my goodness thank god your OK. It basically just changes there personalities 100% of what they've been for 25 episodes and doesn't make cents lol Other wise season 1 was very good.Now onto season 2, right off the bat i'd say its far less dark, theirs still tons of violence and blood but unlike in season 1 there is a lot of hesitant killing or mercy for the opponents which doesn't really match up with season 1 but it's still very good overall. When i was a little over half i felt i liked season 1 better but after i got finished(includes the 4 OVA episodes, this basically wraps up a ton of questions and explains the gist of season 2) i definitely like season 2 a little bit better. Overall review: 4.5/5 Why not a 5/5, well there are some serious questions that could have been given at least a vague detail.(like payments, and what happens when there not made. Or how they even know what there payments are). There are plenty other questions but this is just one example. I also think there is plenty of room for a 3rd season, because with all the things they left blank theirs more then enough room to do another season possibly two, i really hope they do i wouldn't mind at all! But don't misinterpret what i said about blanks, the series ends very good with a lot of questions but not enough that it makes the show not make cents or bad in anyway.The show is worth the watch :)

When I started watching this series on Funimation's YouTube Channel I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not but by the time I'd watched half a dozen episodes I was hooked, indeed I liked it enough to buy the series on DVD; at no point while watching the remaining episodes did I regret my purchase.The world of 'Darker than Black' is different to our own; two meteorites have struck Earth, one in South America and the other in Tokyo. Around the impact sites two areas knows as Heaven's Gate and Hell's Gate appeared. Fives years previously something happened in South America and Heaven's Gate disappeared along with the surrounding land; people are worried that the same will happen in Tokyo. The Gates aren't the only strange things; some people have become 'contractors', people with strange powers who kill each other and other people. There is however a price to pay, each time a contractor uses his power he must pay a price; one must smoke despite hating cigarettes, another must eat and one must break a finger. The story follows one of these; a Chinese student called Hei, he is part of an organisation called the Syndicate. He was somehow involved in the Heaven's Gate incident and the authorities fear that something similar will happen in Tokyo.There is an interesting array of characters besides Hei; he frequently works with Yin, an enigmatic and apparently emotionless girl; Huang, the human member of the team and Mao who is trapped in the body of a cat. As well as the Syndicate there is a policewoman who is investigating the contractors and a group from MI6 whose motives are unknown at first. The series is not as dark as the series suggests but it is a lot of fun; combining mystery, action and a touch of humour in an entertaining way. The animation looks good with good character designs and flowing movement. While it isn't too violent there is some which is quite bloody making it unsuitable for younger viewers although I doubt it would appeal to them anyway.